made them lyable
to censure, even to the length of silencing and deposition; for their
defection and unfaithfulness during the late times, of the lands
apostasie. Particularly, the weakning the hands and discouraging the
hearts of the Lord's suffering people, by their bitter expressions, and
aspersions cast on them for their zeal and tenderness, which would not
allow them to comply with a wicked, arbitrary and bloody council as many
of them did. Their not renewing the Covenant buried for upwards of fifty
years by the greatest part of the land, contrar to the former practise
of this Church, especially after some grosser steps of defection. Their
receiving of perjured curats into ministerial communion, without
covenant tyes and obligations and evident signs of their repentance,
contrary to the former practise of this Church. Their receiving some lax
tested men, and curates, elders, into kirk offices, without some
apparent signs at least of their repentance in a publick appearance,
contrar to the former practise of this Church in such like cases,
evident by the Acts of the Assemblies. Their not protesting formally,
faithfully and explicitly against the magistrate adjourning and
dissolving of Assemblies, and recording the same, contrar to the
practise of this Church in our reforming times. We are not concerned to
notice the protestation of some few persons at particular times, seeing
their precipitancy and rashness in this matter, (as they accounted it)
was afterward apologized for; and that it was not the deed of the
Assembly. Their not asserting in any explicit and formal act the divine
right of Presbytry, and the instrinsick power of the Church, though
often desired by many privat Christians, and some several members, their
not confirming and ratifying the Acts of the Assemblies that were made
in our best times for strengthening and advancing the work of
reformation, contrar to the former practise of this Church. Their
admitting in many places, ignorant and scandalous persons to the Lord's
table, contrar to the Acts of former Assemblies: Their not protesting
against the present sinful confederacy with papists, malignants, and
other enemies of religion and godliness; contrar to the Word of God, and
former practise of this Church: their offensive partiality in their
respective judicatories as to some particular members, where, the more
lax and scandalous are overlooked and past by, and the more faithful and
zealous are seve